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Put up a trip to amazing sand dunes in UAE on the new Raptor - Weekend Trip to Salamat with Yamaha Raptor | Weekend driving ideas for the UAE Ever ridden dunes this big?

Back from the most intense off-roading trip of my life - simply awesome! Now editing the video we took, over 60 hours of continuous recording - got it almost finished and will release on web. We didn't match our proposal for the Guinness due to border restrictions but will go for a UAE National Record. We covered just over 1000km completely off-road from Liwa to Khor Kelba, crossing the northern-most part of the Empty Quarter.

Here's the first news getting out: Guinness World Records Off-Road Quad Biking Attempt - Eye of Dubai News What three things have I forgotten to pack? help us out with a guess...

Fingers crossed, guys - it's not so much the business; it's that he's not going to be able to sit down for weeks after I'm done kicking his @ss! Today he reports he's made some headway, so wish us luck! Today I picked up the Ford Expedition and learnt a lot about it. See the photos yourselves, but let me tell you the effect is excellent - quality decals cover the entire car (also protecting the new paint) and overall the sheer momentous stance of the Expedition really speaks of adventure. It is a 2009 model, brand new, and it has been lifted 2 inches to provide better ground clearance. Wider tyres have been fitted to maximize traction in soft sand, and the front bumper has been replaced with a hardcore off-road metal bumper - which amazingly is perfect in fit and contour shape! Quality finish, I have seen very few bumpers so well made and fitted! Additionally, metal skid plates have been installed, as well as an auxiliary fan (for summer, useful, for us, maybe) and also two spare tyres have been provided. A+ work! I drove home to Al Ain and it runs smooth and true, unlike the off-roading beast it is underneath its polish! A pleasant surprise also on the consumption front, 17 litres to 100km average, and a full tank gives us autonomy of 650km - so much more than I had calculated!!! Man, now what am I going to do with all those gas canisters I bought!?! Very happy, and my wife already remarked I should ask about keeping it after the trip... LOL Tomorrow I test in the sand! 8)

Possible bad news... very bad news! Brother Marco meets up with a difficult situation with his business and if he cannot resolve it within the next 48 hours - he's out!!!

Test video clip: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8cmh394Us]YouTube - Al Ain Quad Ride, UAE, Dec 27, 2009[/ame]

ONE WEEK TO GO!!! 8) Today the press release went out, and the first interview came in - felt like a superstar! :lol: Guinness World Records Off-Road Quad Biking Attempt Trio of Brothers in ‘Around the UAE’ Expedition Fujairah, United Arab Emirates Le Méridien Al Aqah will host a team of three Italian brothers, who are attempting to enter the Guinness World Records for a 1200km off-road trip, titled ‘Around the UAE’, driving quad bikes. The event, organized by UAE resident Paolo Rossetti, will commence on January 16, from Sila in the Western Region, traversing ‘Rub al Khali or The Empty Quarter’ along the UAE borders and is scheduled to end at Le Méridien Al Aqah on January 24. Rossetti, a motoring enthusiast, has lived in the UAE for the past nine years and hopes to create a new category in Guinness World Records for the longest off-road trip, as well as to set a national record in the UAE. His brothers, Andrea and Marco reside in Italy and all three of them will take turns driving the quads. “Le Meridien Al Aqah recognizes the initiative of Rossetti and his team and encourages his sense of national identity, as well as the outdoor sports which have become so popular in the region,” said Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah. Rossetti and his brothers will take two KTM quad bikes the 525 XC and 450 XC, and a Ford Expedition support vehicle provided by Al Tayer Motors, on the trip, along with satellite connectivity, courtesy Red Bull. “This trip brings together three brothers united by a spirit of adventure and a love for the outdoors. We have provided them with a Ford Expedition for this adventure as it is a rugged and spacious 4X4 adept at handling city roads as well as the rough desert terrain. It is a fitting support vehicle for this venture. We wish the Rossettis all success in their record-making attempt,” said Martin Penny, General Manager, Ford, Lincoln & Mercury, Al Tayer Motors. “We are lucky to have the support of companies and groups that share with us the spirit of adventure, including Le Méridien Al Aqah,” said Rossetti. A student development co-ordinator at UAE University, Rossetti was inspired to show students that goals can be set and achieved. “I work with Emirati youth and we hope with this trip to inspire young people to challenge their comfort levels and to reach beyond the everyday, to stretch themselves towards achieving amazing dreams, just like the leaders of this country are doing by example and it is to them we dedicate this adventure,” added Rossetti. Daily exploits from the trip will be posted on Emarat4x4 • Portal, an online fraternity of off-road enthusiasts based in the UAE and on the Rossetti’s Facebook site, every evening using the satellite connectivity provided by Red Bull. A film clip of the adventure will also be uploaded on YouTube later. Le Méridien Al Aqah will arrange a press conference along for the team on their return, as well as hosting them overnight to recuperate from their journey. Representatives from other sponsors, Al Tayer Motors, KTM and Red Bull will also be present.

Really? Maybe not on their website, but I've just received full upper body armour... I'll take a pic for you guys. Scott, very happy with the camera, man - it's pricy but you're getting top quality. Plus, I've even started using it for other filming, too!!!

Pleased to announce that Padana is joining us as supporters for this trip, by providing us with riding clothing and protection. Leather Suits-Leather Motorcycle Jacket-Leather Clothing

For anybody interested in seeing what the POV sports video camera looks like, I've linked a test clip up on my facebook: Login | Facebook These are the helmet cameras I posted about earlier from V.I.O. -- The Leader in Wearable Video Technology, Digital Helmet Cameras and Cam Accessories

Very observant - the yellow leg is across the northern-most part of the Empty Quarter, the Rub al Khali desert, and it is where the enormous dunes are, so the yellow squiggles represent RIPPIN' up those babies!!!! That's where we want to play hard, and that's where this photo was taken 8) The loop where you see the track cross over is (hopefully) where we'll meet up with the emarat4x4 club campsite - they will be bringing us supplies and cheer!

Let me finish this little project first LOL

Thanks guys! 8) Well, I'll tell you right now you can definitely get them to give you a quad. I don't mind sharing how it worked for us. First of all it helps to be in a growth market, so when cuts are being made you're going to find it hard. If the conditions are so that the company is advertising, then monitor the ads they are taking out. Phone the magazine/newspaper and ask for their advertising rates so you'll know how much the company is shelling out. Then you prepare your plan that shows how much exposure you'll get them and how much it would cost them if they went through regular advertising channels. That shows them what a great deal supporting your adventure will be for them. Fundamentally, they run a business. That's also why I'm here on quadcrazy.com telling you about our plans - it's part of my deal to update forums of quad-lovers. When you can show them that for 1/5 or 1/10 of advertising cost, you can get them equal if not better exposure, then it's win-win for both you and them, and you will get your quad. Once I'm done this adventure, I don't mind joining forces with you and seeing what we can come up with 8)

Yes, I'll keep updating your community as we go along! A couple of quick updates right now: 2 new official sponsors: Red Bull, who will be providing us with satellite connectivity so we can do live uplinks, and Emarat4x4, a club of desert crazies who will be offering us logistical support: check out Emarat4x4 • Portal We've also launched a Facebook Group, open to all so link up there with us as well: 1200 Km in the UAE desert ? 1200 Km nel deserto degli Emirati Arabi | Facebook (1200km in the UAE Desert) We received Vio-POV helmet cameras, and they look quality! Tomorrow I'm going to test them, so I'll see if I can show you what the terrain looks like over here. 4 weeks to go!

We'll have a laptop linked up with our Garmin 276c GPS, so we can run sat maps on it and see our location and progress, and map-out the stages ahead, but no internet connection. What we'll do for updates is send out text messages over GSM, since we supposedly will have network coverage. What helmet cams would you suggest? We're thinking http://www.vio-pov.com/

LOL - they'll go back to the dealer. Maybe he'll sell them, maybe keep them as demos... I wonder what they would do to us if one went "missing" in the desert...

Yeah man - wide open desert dunes! 8) Nothing like it!!! Quads are the ideal vehicles for this - fast, agile, don't get stuck...

For any of the navvy freaks out there, we're using mrsid sat images from NASA (bit dated, year 2000) in Ozi Explorer, which links to our Garmin GPS from a laptop in the Ford Expedition support vehicle without needing internet connectivity. Plus 2 GPS on the quads themselves. We also check up on Google Earth because they have recent sat maps, but we only use their free service. Here's a screenshot of the southwestern part, coming down from the northwest corner and across the heavy-duty dunes of the Empty Quarter, called the Liwa area in the UAE - that's to the bottom right of the image. The yellow waypoints show our intended route. I just put these at random to give an idea, as our own files are jam-packed with yellow markers. This is what the Liwa dunes look like close-up: Here is the continuation of the first image, from centre to southeast corner and then up north. This is our final stage, but it's worrying from a navigation standpoint because it's sharp mountains we need to cross west to east. The yellow line shows the border between UAE and Oman. And this is a close-up of those mountains - finding our way is going to be tough. I have all sorts of details if anyone's interested in more on the route or terrain, or how we're running this.

They will be a 450XC and a 525XC, and the KTM guys are serious about backing this adventure. Motor oil samples will go back to Austria for analysis, and they want all sorts of feedback. Very impressed with both machines - in stock form they are ready for this trip. I was looking at building them up a bit but, really, they are perfect as is. I just hate the thumb throttle on any quad... The suspension I feel is their best feature: plus no overheating issues of any kind, and there's so much power throughout the range to keep you smiling at every climb! The best thing about KTM was their immediate reaction when we approached them - You want to do what??? Well, we'd better help you guys out... 8)

LOL - sure! The terrain will blow your mind, man. It's like Mars, or some incredible movie set. It's beautiful at the same time, you feel awe at such immensity. It's really something special - one of the most extreme places on the planet.. like, maybe Antarctica, or I don't know, the Sahara! Anyways, to answer your questions: The quads are stock KTM (except for twist throttle and extended tank) and they absolutely rock. I review vehicles for a magazine for a living and the KTM are at the top at this moment in time, IMO. Check them out: KTM ATV Support vehicle is a 2009 Ford Expedition, with lift and custom bumpers (I think, it's still being prepped), so that will give us plenty of room and towing power. It runs a 5.4L V8 Triton engine with an output over 300HP and enormous torque, so that beast will pull a 2-quad trailer loaded with all our stuff. We plan to meet up with the Ford every three hours; the support vehicle must remain safe as it's our lifeline.

Thanks guys! We realize the enormity of our adventure and the risks involved, and that's why we need perfect preparation and planning - as perfect as we can get, at least. If you can help question everything and find any weaknesses before we're out in the sand, that would be great. Maybe you'll catch something we missed, and that something could make the difference between.. well, let's leave it at that! LOL We are psyched, we are prepped, and we got great sponsors to back us up - and we're going to rip through that desert like no one has before! 8)

Hi guys - new to the board and just dropped in to see if you have any advice and to let you guys know what's happening other side of the world - in the United Arab Emirates. Mid-January me and two bros are going to attempt to be the first people to ride Around the UAE Off-Road. That's around 1200km of serious sand dune desert (crossing the northern-most corner of the Rub al Khali, largest sand desert in the world) of flat gravel plains and of stark mountains - no touching tarmac. We've registered for a Guinness World Record, and hopefully we'll be able to get it accepted. 6-9 days of insane riding, guys! 8) - January 16-24, 2009 We're going to be filming a web-documentary with helmet cams and we've got the support of companies that believe in the spirit of adventure: QUAD BIKES PROVIDED BY: SUPPORT VEHICLE PROVIDED BY: and the UAE exclusive distributor: START/ARRIVAL CEREMONIES AND PRESS CONFERENCE LOCATION PROVIDED BY: A "REACH YOUR DREAMS" ACTIVITY BY UGRU STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AT: AND WITH THE PROUD SUPPORT OF THE MEMBERS AT DUBAI DESERT CLUB: The adventure of a lifetime starts with organizations that understand the drive for accomplishment, and without sponsors it would be impossible to do. If there's interest on the board, I'll be glad to keep you guys updated on how we're preparing, on what the route is, how we're organizing, and what difficulties we face and how we'll work to overcome them - your advice or comments or warnings are welcome! If our adventure can inspire yours, then make us welcome!